Ghanaian’s constitutional and legal requirements have served as buffer for the country’s democratic stability and peaceful environment over the years, Dr Franklin Oduro Deputy Director Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) has said.
Speaking at a roundtable Dr Oduro, who is also Head of Research and Programmes, at CDD-Ghana, urged government to strengthen the bodies uniting the people.
“We should not rely on chance, it is important we put in place systems to check issues that can trigger conflict,” he said.
The discussion was on the topic: “ethnic power relations and conflict: lessons from around the world.”
The country’s cultural systems, school arrangement, work environment, constitutional and legal framework, he said, had provided the cleavages for national unity which ought to be safeguarded.
He, however, said perception of political exclusion, economic inequality, ethnic dominance in political power control and unfair treatment remains pervasive in Ghana’s multi-ethnic society.
He said those perceptions, whether real, imaginary, or latent, are signs of potential conflicts that call for the need to improve upon state institutions to ease the level of risk.
The chieftaincy institution, National Peace Council and religious bodies among others were praised for contributing significantly to the national peace building efforts.
While political parties were also lauded for implementing or continuing the social intervention programmes – roads, schools, health facilities - across the regions.
Dr Manuel Vogt, a researcher from ETH Zurich said research data showed that ethno-nationalist exclusion and mobilisation are likely to trigger civil-war violence.
“When people are economically and politically disadvantaged they may engage in mobilisation to start conflict,” he said.
He added that ethnic exclusion, which is the main source of conflict in many states, has been declining considerably in sub Saharan Africa in the last 20 years.
He attributed the development to increased practice of democracy and power sharing governance which are said to have worked for several countries in the region.
But countries like Rwanda, Dr Vogt could be the most dangerous in the world as they present high probability of war breaking out up to 2018 if their current conditions do not change.